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Gamblers Teddy Toss Has Big Night in Milestone Year

01/27/2014, 11:00am CST

By bwerger

The Green Bay Gamblers hosted their “Teddy Bear Toss” game on Saturday, January 25th, which was the 15th consecutive season they have hosted the event. Annually one of the biggest events of the year, the team welcomed 7,517 fans for the game against Team USA as the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Fans were encouraged to bring new teddy bears or stuffed toys to the game and launch them on to the ice following the Gamblers’ first goal. The largest crowd in the USHL this season had to wait through almost two periods before they could toss the bears. With just over two minutes remaining in the second period, a shot by defenseman Colin Sullivan found the back of the net to put Green Bay on the scoreboard and begin the barrage of stuffed toys being thrown to the ice surface.

When it was all said and done, a total of 6,525 teddy bears and stuffed toys were collected by the team. Those toys will now be hand-delivered by Gamblers players to pediatric patients at local hospitals and distributed to local charities.

The Green Bay Gamblers began their “Teddy Bear Toss” game in 2000 and collected just over 400 toys in the inaugural event. It has now grown into one of the USHL’s biggest promotions as fans of the team have tossed nearly 80,000 stuffed toys over the 15 years of the event.

Green Bay would go on to win Saturday’s contest by the score of 2-1 as Connor Hurley netted the winner in overtime. Goaltender Jared Rutledge made 27 saves to earn his 18th victory of the season for the Gamblers.

Video - Green Bay Gamblers 2014 Teddy Bear Toss

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 12th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2013-14. A record 32 players were chosen in the 2013 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters last season have committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).